The invention relates to imaging of biochip spots.
One method of observing and imaging biochip spots is through the use of confocal microscopes. These devices are large and expensive.
The apparatus has a micro-lens and optical fiber array in which a plurality of micro-lenses are linearly spaced apart an amount equal to the spacing of spots on a biochip so that they can be simultaneously focused on the respective spots to enlarge the spot image. An optical fiber is terminated and fixed above each of the micro-lenses to transmit the image. A scanner will translate the array to successively adjacent groups of spots in the biochip (x direction) or if desired, along the axis of the array to an adjacent set of spots in the same line (y direction) or both. The transmitted images are sent over the optical fibers to a detector and then to a user device which may be a display screen, data processor, or other device. Confocal effect can be achieved with certain optical fiber diameters.